The World In MSD Scale

Okay, yeah--

Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:58:54 GMT

It occurs to me that I totally fail at keeping up more than one journal, so rather than continue to fail I'm going to merge all my doll stuff back onto my primary journal, caseyvalhalla. If anyone would like to follow me there, please feel free to do so. Be aware, though, that there is a lot of fanfic and fangirling going on over there, primarily of the yaoi sort, so if you're not into that please let me know and I'll get some filters going so those who want to only see the doll stuff.

Otherwise, it was lovely meeting you all and I'll probably be shutting down this journal shortly to free up the username.

LATERS. :D

A Little Attention

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:54:16 GMT

Dev's been having fun watching Doctor Who with me, but today he looked kind of down. So, I spent some time fixing his eyelashes, then decided he could use a new photo shoot. No story this time, just wanted to get some really good shots of him before the sun went down--and succeeded!

I'm just glad the flaws in his faceup aren't really noticeable on camera. I'm still considering redoing it over the long weekend now that it's warm enough to spray the sealant outside, but now that I've got his lashes in right... seems kind of counterproductive to have to do them over. (Yay for procrastination!) I do think I'll go get a hot glue gun tomorrow though.

On with the pics.

Just ignore my cat's tail in the corner there... she wanted attention, too. (Actually, she wanted to play with the camera's wrist strap, but it amounts to pretty much the same thing.)

I wasn't really intending to be artistic, but the bars of light give this an interesting quality.

Still need to make him a new pair of pants...

Dev: Okay, owner-lady, it's my turn now.

One of the few closeups that didn't come out too blurry.

You can see these are all the same pose from different angles.

I think this one is my favorite. It really shows his personality the best.

And the same pose from a different angle just isn't the same. Strange how that works.

And now... well, we have more Doctor Who to watch, so off we go. Thanks for looking!

In which Dev conquers the wicker mountain.

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 03:28:49 GMT

Okay, what are you up to?
Dev: I'm gonna climb this. :D
Uh-huh.
Dev: I am! Watch me, okay?

I'm watching.
Dev: You really don't believe me, do you?
I might believe you can get to the first shelf.

Dev: It seems I'm a bit too short for this. Hmm...
Want a lift?
Dev: No, no. That wouldn't be climbing.
Okay, you go for it.

Dev: Aha! This should help.
A basket?
Dev: Yes, just watch.

Dev: Owner-lady, your video games are too heavy.
Ooops, sorry. I'll get those.

Dev: There. Now, you see? It's a stepstool.
And you can get up on it?
Dev: Yes!

Dev: Ooof... Ugh...
Need help?
Dev: No! I can do it!
Okay, watching.

Dev: *pant pant* Whew. There, see?
I see, you're doing pretty good.

Dev: Almost there!
Yay!
Dev: Now, watch this!

O.o Are you sure you don't need help?
Dev: I'm--oof--fine!
Uh-huh.
Dev: I'm fine!

Dev: There, see--whew--made it!
Maybe you should be working out while I'm gone during the day instead of reading...
Dev: :P

Dev: I did it, though. Aren't you proud of me?
I am! You're a resourceful kid.
Dev: :D

BEEEEEP BEEEEEP BEEEEEP
Whoops, phone. Be right back.
Dev: Okay.
You're okay there, right? Not gonna fall?
BEEEEEP
Dev: I'm fine, get the phone!

...
...
...

I'm back, so--

HOW DID YOU GET UP THERE?
Dev: Hi. Told you I could climb it.
o__o
Dev: You didn't believe me, and I did it. :D Pretty resourceful, huh?

No, seriously, how did you get up there?
Dev: Trade secret.
....right.

BONUS:

Dev & Spuddy Buddy!

Greetings from Idaho!

Anyway...

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 06:25:08 GMT

There was actually something else I was going to discuss tonight up until Dev took a faceplant off the kitchen table and all engines went to OMG NOEZ ;_;

Specifically, I am now on a quest. And it's all Leekeworld's fault.

I've been hunting up wigs every so often as I've been trying to find just the right one for Noel for a while now. I happened across one on Leekeworld the other night that was just about right, but the problem, you see... is this.

Ok--yeah, the wig is great. I wish I had a better idea of how long it was but it's the closest to perfect I've found so far (it'll either be in light brown, milk caramel or carrot, I haven't decided yet). The problem is the wig's sulky-looking model.

WHAT DOLL IS THAT?

It looks like a mini to me--at least, it's modeling a mini-sized wig, although it's possible its a SD in an SD-sized wig of which there is also a mini-size available, but the doll just looks more like a mini to me. It also looks like a boy to me, but my effeminate identification meter is clearly already pressed too high from years of exposure to the bishonen aesthetic--so I could be wrong.

This is as far as I've gotten in dolly identification, aside from this apparently not being a Leeke doll--at least not any doll that is available on the website. So, the quest is on, and updates will be posted here as they become available, purely for my own amusement. (Although I think I have Dev's grudging agreement that yes this doll is gorgeous and cute and should one day be part of the family.)

Any help and suggestions are greatly appreciated. I'm off to gigglegeek.

EDIT: DoA has pwned me again, and yes Virginia, there IS a thread called "Leekeworld Wig Model Who's Who". My boy here (yup, it's a boy) is a Volks SD13 Syo, oldskin, possibly with modded cheeks. So much for having a new mini to swoon over, but should I graduate to full-sized dolls at some point, this boy will be on my list.

This must be how moms feel.

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:05:05 GMT

I'm a bad owner. ;_;

I know better than to let Dev stand on his own for too long, even when I'm right there next to him. But I was pinning some fabric and my mind was elsewhere, and I stood up and it jiggled the table just so.

You hear this crash, and then the little skittery sound of a piece rolling away and that right there--that is the most terrifying sound in the world, folks. I thought for sure I'd just lost his nose.

The little rolly piece turned out to be his left thumb. Which is technically no big deal, I can replace his hands fairly easy compared to $150-some-odd for a new face. But--I kind of just held him and cried for a little while anyway. I can't believe I let him get hurt.

I superglued his thumb back on and cut a bandaid really tiny to put over the break line. I'm trying to see it as an aspect of his personality rather than the result of a clumsy mistake. That's gonna take a while.

(On the bright side, Dev is fine. I think he was more upset by my reaction than he was by the fall itself. We're gonna go watch movies for a while and hopefully I'll feel better.)

YAY PICSPAM!

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 04:13:05 GMT

So, I finally bit the bullet and bought a Sony Cybershot. Justified the expense by telling myself: "Hey, self? You're not REALLY going to let Mom go off on a once-in-a-lifetime Caribbean cruise with nothing to snap pictures with but that Wal-Mart POS, are you?"

The obvious answer being: Hell no, she's going to come back with some GOOD pictures of ~~cabin boys~~ ~~island boys~~ ~~hot waiters~~ uh, beaches and stuff. So, I got us a camera. I'll be experimenting the next few days, which means tons of pics!

Some of these are also on DoA, but the whole gamut so far is here:

Yay! Thanks for looking!

Ooo, it's a face!

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:51:29 GMT

Spent pretty much all day working on Dev's (and my) first faceup. It's turned out remarkably well, although I think I accidentally gave him sad eyebrows, and also the Testors didn't seem to go on quite right, as there were a few places where it had clearly run while drying, and some spots that were uneven. Not sure what I did wrong, but most of them are covered by hair so, no biggie for now.

Since I had to take his head off and wash it anyway, I decided I might as well take him apart (always good to know how your doll goes together, right?) and see if I could adjust his tension. Luts, however, in their infinite wisdom, did not leave any slack on their strings. So--there goes that idea. Dev will just have to stay tightly strung for a while.

I'll get some pics of his new face tomorrow when I have some daylight to work with (since the camera doesn't like me and the inside light). In the meantime, some of the pics I didn't put in Dev's arrival post! (Which, by the way, is here.)

Dev: You can't see me! Haha!

Dev: Ok, now you can. What can we play next?

Dev: Is that a mountain?
It's a bookcase.
Dev: Can I climb it?
Noooo, I don't think so.
Dev: I bet I can.
Not right now.
Dev: Okay. *pout*

Dev: What do we do now?
I've got some other clothes.

Dev: I need a coat. For the snow.
That's next on my list, hon.

Dev: I like this outfit.
So do I.

Look, that's Auntie Ari. Say hi.
Dev: Hi. Are you really a rose?
o.o
Dev: Does she live in this box?
No, she lives far away.
Dev: Can we go see her?
Probably.

Later!

happydance

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 02:09:10 GMT

Yesterday morning I staged a rescue from the post office and FINALLY brought Dev home. ^______^ I have tons of pics, but am currently lacking in a cord to hook the camera to the computer with. So--for now, just some OMG NEW DOLL chatter.

Things I Expected but Still Surprised Me:

The faceup-less look. I prepared myself by watching the arrival threads for other Bory-without-faceup dolls, but I still kind of: O.O No eyebrows! He doesn't look quite right to me blank--although VERY cute still--so I'll have to make my first faceup attempt ASAP.
He's heavy! Well, not that heavy, I suppose, but... heavier than he looks? It's still kind of surprising every time I pick him up.
Wig is slippery. Any suggestions? Luts sent me this piece of velcro, I'm assuming that might be its intended use?

Things I Did NOT Expect:

Creaky joints! I'm assuming they're always going to be a bit creaky? Or do they squeak less with use?
Resin. It's just--really smooth. And it warms up when you touch it. And it smells--not bad, just, uh, resiny? It's sort of pleasant. I think I'm beginning to associate it with happiness.
Posing is tricky! Sometimes you're trying to bend an arm one way and his leg pops back, or his waist bends. It requires serious coordination. Standing him up takes some practice. Figuring out how his joints work and which way to turn a particular one to get the desired effect--well, it's been a learning experience. ^_^ I remember a while back, I was looking through a DoA thread in the 'games' section where people were posting pics of their dolls in unusual/difficult/otherwise impressive poses. I kept thinking--those don't look all that hard. Well, now I know!
While we're on the subject--getting eyes in just the right position? Not as easy as it looks.
OMG HIS HANDS ARE SO COOL. I don't know what it is, but they are.
I simply cannot stop taking pictures of him. I have tons. Seriously.
He's tall. I mean, obviously he isn't that tall, just 40-some-odd centimeters, but he's really leggy, and that makes him look taller.

Last night was really exciting. I spent a good hour or so just going through all the clothes I made and dressing him up, and taking pics. I have him in a gray raglan top and tan cords right now, as that outfit seems to look the best on him. Most of the stuff I made fits him decently (although I really, really need snaps for his pants, the velcro is just not cutting it). The only real issue is that most of his shirts don't fit over his head, so I have to pop his head off to change them. >< In the future, we will be making shirts with front or back closures. Or really big collars, whichever is simpler.

And finally, HE NEEDS A FRIEND OMG. I had to leave him on my desk while I went to work. He was hugging his teddy bear and looking at me all lonely-like. *hugs him* I'm gonna see if I can't get enough money set aside to bring home a second dolly sometime in the next few months.

Picspam later! Promise!

The WORST Monday EVAR kicks it

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 01:55:18 GMT

...there is no Dev here today. Stupid EMS, stupid weather, stupid MONDAY. This was your one shot at redeeming yourself, Monday, and you BLEW IT. Now we'll just have to continue hating each other FOREVER.

The best Monday EVAR

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 14:01:02 GMT

Ok, so I didn't win Azure, but I'm having a hard time feeling too bad about that because--

ZOMG DEV IS IN BOISE HE'LL BE HERE TODAY YAY!!!

The arrival of one's first doll has got to be better than winning a million lotteries. ^_^

Dad is dropping off his camera for me this afternoon so I can take the arrival photos! I can't wait! But I have to go to work, dammit. >_<

And I can't stop using smileys. :D

It's too bad I didn't win, I really thought I would and Azure is GORGEOUS OMG, but I think I'll be able to take the whole character and concept I came up with for him and apply it to another doll. There's just no way I could buy him right now, even if he was sold at regular SDF prices.

So, I'm off to work to bounce in my chair all day long. PICSPAM TONIGHT!

Casey's Shopping Adventure

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 20:00:26 GMT

I like going shopping early in the morning--less traffic, less people, more parking spaces, and usually everything's been restocked. Plus I'm usually gone and back before anyone else in the house is awake. Today, I went to Michaels. Or, more accurately, I went to Michaels, noted that it was still closed, went to kill some time at Walgreens, and then went back to Michaels.

I could not for the life of me find white poster tack OR a retractable pencil eraser. Luckily though, I had the latter at home already (forgot, silly me).

At Walgreens:
Rubbing alcohol
Comb
Pencil sharpener
Elmer's glue
Stared at some itty bitty hair clips for a while.

At Michaels I ended up in the doll section almost immediately. There were some really cute straw hats and little denim sneakers--I was sorely tempted to buy, but managed not to by telling myself that I couldn't be sure either would fit. They also had tiny teddy bears and bunnies, just the right size for Dev! I waited on those too, because, well--necessities first.

Found the Testors right off the bat--over with the model cars, just like I expected (because once upon a time Casey worked in the toy dept at ~~the Bastion of Evil~~ Walmart, and she has a long memory for such things). All was going well until I arrived in the paint aisle, and made a staggering discovery concerning Liquitex Gloss Medium & Varnish...

Me: TEN DOLLARS?!?!
Liquitex: *is all large-bottled and expensive*
Me: *notes empty $7 slot on the counter*
Counter: *is empty, like totally, even waaaay back in the back*
Me: >:O

I proceeded to dig through the cheap-o brush box and tried to remember all the tutorials and threads I've read and if any of them recommended anything else. Then poked through the Windsor-Newton stuff and pondered over a jar of something that wasn't Windsor-Newton and didn't have a price tag on it, but was called Gloss Medium & Varnish when--

Bottle: *has a Liquitex label on and clearly is not in the right place*
Me: ...? Aaagh, not the right kind.
Bottle: *appears to be hiding another bottle*
Me: *hopefully retrieves hidden bottle*
Hidden Bottle: *is totally the $7 bottle of Liquitex Gloss Medium & Varnish!*
Me: ZOMG YAY!

So, having retrieved Testors, brushes, LIQUITEX GLOSS MEDIUM & VARNISH HELLS YEAH (whoever hid it back there is gonna be mad), velcro, and some craft glue (gonna try making a book today), I headed home.

At home, the phone rings, and it's my mom's best friend (whom we shall call S). And therefore, I think--

Me: Mom! Does S have a digital camera?
Mom: Probably.
Me: :D Do you think she'd let me borrow it for a couple of days?
Mom: Why?
Me: :D
Mom: Seriously, why?
Me: So I can take pictures of my doll when he gets here!
Mom: ...
Me: :DDDDDD
Mom: Oooookay.

Unfortunately that didn't work out. I may have to go bug the neighbors.

Anyhow! Dev left customs this morning at 6:23AM PST (and a big whopping allcaps THANK YOU to the fabulous people at customs for not tagging my first doll and holding him for tariffs or whatever). I'm trying not to hope too much that he'll arrive today--but I keep thinking, if they put him on a plane...

Meanwhile, I shall be sitting here with my shoebox o' faceup supplies, and finish getting velcro and some eyehooks on Dev's pants (I hate sewing on hooks and eyes BUT I ran out of money and couldn't get snaps).

And restrain the urge to drive down to LA and get him myself.

EDIT: Totally chopped up one of the ex's old tees for rags. Kept some of the good bits to make clothes with. Oh, to have a time machine... "By the way, honey, five years from now I'm gonna cut up your favorite gray J-Crew and make doll clothes out of it. ^_^ Love you!"

SON OF EDIT: Eyes arrived! They are even more gorgeous in person, I'm so glad I decided to order from Soom. ^____^ It's like he's watching me out of a little plastic eyeball case. Hi Dev! When your body is here I can hug you!

BRIDE OF EDIT: I don't think he's going to come today, sadface. BUT Arith says she's gotten an EMS shipment on Sunday before. So maybe tomorrow! And if not then--well, guh, I might just have to take a personal day on Monday so I can sit on the front porch. All day. By god there will be no missed deliveries at this house.

*pokes tracking* Seriously, update already.

In case someone on the planet didn't know yet--

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 03:24:39 GMT

DEV HAS SHIPPED ZOMG YAY!

*has been climbing walls since early this morning*

So, as my boy will be arriving sometime in the next week, I've got some work ahead of me. I hit the art store today during my lunch break and picked up some pastels, watercolor pencils and a kneaded eraser, so the faceup supplies are well underway!

Still to do:

Hit Michaels in the morning for brushes, Testors, gloss, and some other crafty-type supplies.

Get a snap and/or some velcro put on Dev's jeans, and a zipper on his fleece vest.

While I'm at it, wash that fleece as the dryer sheets or something seem to have left some kind of greasy residue on it--and we all know oil + resin = BAD.

Rip up old t-shirt for cleaning rags.

Find some kind of covering for the metal end of my spare doll stand so it can be used as a head-spraying rack.

Fix Dev's teddy bear, as it still looks funky.

Practice faceup on paper.

Get a camera ready--hmm. *adds film to shopping list*

Other stuff to do if there's time:

Finish cleaning out closet shelf for Dev's room.

Make some kind of bed, as it's probably best that he doesn't sleep in mine forever, lol.

Try making a book.

Also--! I expect the Azure winners will be announced sometime Sunday evening. I think. If I've got Korean time vaguely figured out... I really think I'll win! I've just got such a good feeling about it, yanno, in that annoying uber-optimist way. ^_^

Obligatory post of introduction in further detail and specific to the topic at hand:

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 04:59:01 GMT

The story goes thusly:

Many, many, (many) moons ago, Casey was about 7 years old, and somehow or other she got a hold of an American Girl catalog. Already having an interest in Barbies and My Little Ponies, naturally her curiosity piqued, and within this magical catalog she discovered the most beautiful dolls she had ever seen. She spent hours on end poring over the pictures and turning through the pages upon pages of dolls and things that went with them. Imagining, of course, having one of her own and picking out what clothes and furniture and accessories would go with the doll, and all the things they would play together.

Henceforth, each year at Christmas/birthdays/whenever, Casey would beg and beg and BEG her Mom for one of these dolls. But as time wore on the catalog all but disintegrated under the stress of being read and reread and re-reread--and furthermore, Casey grew up enough to realize that her family was incredibly poor, and could barely afford to buy her a Barbie let alone a collector doll. Ultimately, the catalog was thrown away and all dreams of owning the most beautiful doll in the world were given up.

Many, many, (many) years later, Casey was online catching up with her old friend Arithion. When asked what she'd been up to lately, Ari enthusiastically replied, "Ball-jointed dolls!" and proceeded to discuss this phenomenon at length. Casey was skeptical, having long since set aside even her Barbies (excepting a few carefully packed dolls in a shoebox that she never told anyone about). However, what with Ari being a mad spammer of links, she was quickly directed to images and introduced to Traithan (a CP El).

And it was just possible that in that moment, Casey remembered that once upon a time she had dreamed of owning the most beautiful doll in the world.

At that particular moment, however, it was not to be, as Casey was dead broke and unemployed. She entertained Ari's link spammage while keeping a careful distance from the dangerously enticing hobby, and later put the entire notion out of mind. That is, until a few months ago when, while browsing her flist one day, she happened upon a link to Arithion's doll journal.

She recalls the world kind of imploding after that.

I'm not entirely sure what Dev's deal is. Or his story, rather--I know he's a CP Bory, that he'll have blond hair and purple eyes, and rather prefer a casual/90's-ish wardrobe. I know that he thrives on attention and will have jealousy issues when I start to get other dolls. I know he tried to act tough and cool but really has a sweet, gooey marshmallow center.

I know he has a sister (Lise, CP Litchi) and a best friend/more (Noel, Dolkot Yun). I don't know what their story or history is, but I think it will start to develop once Dev is home and I start working on concepts for the other kids I want to get. That is, so long as he doesn't stand blocking the computer monitor and demand to know why I'm looking at other dolls instead of playing with him.

Eyes have arrived!

Thu, 27 Dec 2007 05:14:47 GMT

At Arith's place, anyhow:

(She took the pic, BTW)

Thanks Ari! Can't wait... day 6 of waiting now.

CAPSLOCK OF GLEE

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 03:38:54 GMT

My Dev is ordered.

OMG

Ok, so I had to call my bank and tell them that yes, I did actually charge $400 to my card from a Korean doll company. Please let it go through. Otherwise, all was very smooth, ordered an extra wig that Ari wanted, free shoes, eyelashes, and...

HE'S MINE. OMG.

BTW: My mom thinks I'm nuts.

Obligatory post of introduction

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:35:58 GMT

So:

I've made this journal as a home for my BJDs--none of which I actually HAVE yet (although my Kid Delf Bory is sitting in a Luts shopping cart as we speak) but I figure, hey, no harm in getting ahead of the game.

In the next couple of weeks whilst I go nuts waiting for my first doll to arrive, I plan to:

1. Get my paws on a digital camera
2. Take some pics of some of the clothes I've made in preparation for my boy's arrival
3. Share said pics with the general public (that would be all of you reading this)
4. Remember to BREATHE. In. Out. Okay, still alive.

I'll probably spam a lot with links and thoughts and ideas about my boy's look and character as well. So please, fellow doll folks, feel absolutely free to friend me and share your experiences and advice.